Ronon took one of
Lisel's small hands in his, then leaned forward and gently kissed
her dry cheek. The older woman was returning to her world, refusing
Dr. Weir's offer to remain on Atlantis.

"I need to return to
my home," she replied. "I don't believe that anyone knew of my
involvement with you, so I will be safe. And there are still slaves
to set free. It's what I do, after all." Ronon had merely
nodded, unable to express his gratitude to the woman. She was the
reason they were all here. He owed her his life, as well as the
lives of his teammates.

Teyla Emmagen stepped
forward, bowing her head. "Thank you, Lisel. You will be in our
thoughts." Lisel smiled at the Athosian leader, then gave her a
quick wink.

"Keep an eye on that
one," she teased, inclining her head towards the runner. Teyla
grinned back, and returned the woman's wink.

"Lisel, if you ever
need anything, dial this address, and tell the men you meet who you
are," Elizabeth said as she handed the woman a small piece of paper
with the alpha-site address. Lisel accepted the paper, cramming it
into her pocket. The two women embraced, then Lisel stepped away,
walking regally towards the event horizon. A moment later, she was
gone.

Elizabeth turned
towards the technician, her voice stern. "Remove P6D-358 from our
dialing system." The technician nodded, her hands flying over the
computer.

Ronon gave Elizabeth a
nod, then turned, heading towards the gym, Teyla by his side. McKay
was awake, and Sheppard had been released, but Ronon knew that the
Colonel was bound to be at McKay's side, and Ronon had a suspicion
that the teammates needed some time alone. So, he and Teyla would
spar for awhile, maybe catch some lunch together, then wander down to
the infirmary and check on their friends. He smiled inwardly; things
were finally returning to normal on Atlantis.

oOo

Dr. Carson Beckett was
peering intently at his computer screen, a small frown on his face.
He hen-pecked at the keyboard, never having mastered the ability to
type. He looked up as Radek Zelenka cautiously knocked on his door.

"Dr. Zelenka! Can I
help you?" Carson immediately focused his attention on the Czech
physicist. He had been expecting Radek, expecting him to visit the
infirmary ever since Rodney had been rescued four days ago. The fact
that Radek had remained distant, only inquiring about McKay's
recovery, and never actually seeing Rodney, let Carson know that
there was something much bigger going on.

The teams had returned
from P6D-358, the jumpers speeding in from the event horizon,
Sheppard barely allowing the ship to land in the jumper bay before he
was yelling for Carson and his team. Beckett had taken one look at
Rodney and nearly passed out; the man was a wreck.

Ten hours, fifty-five
stitches and one lung repair later, not to mention four units of
blood, and Carson was able to assure them that Rodney would probably
live.

The relief on John's
face – who had retaken up residence in one of Beckett's infirmary
beds – was monumental. He sagged into his pillow, grabbing at
Elizabeth's hand, and doing his best to not collapse into tears.
Emotional outbursts were not his thing; that territory belonged to
McKay. Dr. Weir wore a stunned look on her face, unable to believe
that McKay's call for help had been real. As for Ronon and Teyla,
after hearing that Rodney would live to complain another day, they
both retreated to their quarters to finally get some sleep.

And so, things had
started to return to normal. Rodney woke up briefly on day two,
gazed blearily at Carson, gave his familiar know-it-all smirk, then
fell back asleep. On the third day, he asked for Sheppard, and
wouldn't relax until John had staggered out of his bed and leaned
over the agitated scientist, reassuring him that they were both okay.
Rodney only nodded, said something like, "It took you long
enough," and promptly went back to sleep. John and Carson had
exchanged amused smiles at that one.

Now, on day four,
Rodney was sitting up, still extremely weak, but recovering quite
nicely, in Carson's opinion. He had asked for something to eat,
and was breathing easily. Sheppard, released this morning, had
returned, grabbing a chair. He and Rodney were speaking softly, the
physicist unusually subdued.

And here was Dr.
Zelenka. Carson cleared his throat, one eye on the two teammates
outside, and the other on the Czech. Radek squirmed, then, with a
shrug, came in and sat on one of the hard-back chairs.

"I heard him,"
Radek said abruptly. Carson leaned back in his chair, the mystery of
Radek's absence now crystal clear. The doctor remained quiet,
knowing that Radek needed to work this out himself.

Zelenka looked into
Carson's face, his own expression morose. "I heard Rodney call
for help that night, Carson, and I did nothing!" Radek had blasted
out of bed, his own uneasy slumber ruined by the sound of Rodney's
cry. The physicist had remained in his room, pacing nervously,
unable to sleep, unaware that the teams had already left in response
to McKay's plea.

Still, Beckett remained
silent. He had confronted his own doubts about what he heard that
night, doubts that were dashed when the team returned with the
barely-alive scientist. Carson had pondered the event for days,
finally deciding that there were some things that just would never be
explained.

"If it had been up to
me, Rodney would have died. I failed him," Radek muttered.

He closed his eyes, his
hands trembling slightly.

"Radek, let me ask
you something. If the situation had been reversed, if you were the
one calling for help, and your call woke Rodney up from a sound
sleep, do you think Rodney would have believed it?" Carson asked
gently.

Radek mulled this over
for a few moments, then nodded his head. "Yes. Rodney goes with
gut more times than people think. May not be logical, but he would
have acted."

Carson nodded; he
agreed. Rodney's true genius wasn't just in his mind; it was in
his instincts. It was something that Sheppard had recognized
immediately, resulting in the addition of McKay as a member of SGA-1,
and the formation of a deep friendship between the two men.

"You were with McKay
in Russia. If the situation had happened then, would he have acted
in the same manner?" Again, Carson watched as Radek considered his
question. This time the scientist shook his head.

"No. Rodney is
different now. More…..emotional, but in good way."

Carson leaned forward.
"Radek, you and Rodney are men of science. You are trained to look
for concrete evidence, for facts, for data. What happened the other
night had no basis in science, it made no sense. To hear anyone call
for help across a galaxy is…..well, I would have said it was
impossible. For you to acknowledge that you heard him goes against
everything you, as a scientist, stand for."

Radek just looked sad.
"But, you said Rodney would have acted, although he is scientist
also."

Carson nodded. "Rodney
has changed, Radek. His time here on Atlantis, with you and Sheppard
– with all of us – has made him a different man. Don't get me
wrong – he's still obnoxious as hell, but he is also more willing
to accept the illogical." This time Radek was nodding, listening
intently as Carson continued.

"You still hold fast
to your beliefs, your training, Radek, and that isn't wrong. It's
who you are. You cannot blame yourself for being yourself, man. And
Rodney understands this. You didn't fail him; you were true to
yourself."

Radek sat in silence
for a long moment, absorbing Carson's kind words. Finally, he
heaved a heavy sigh. "I suppose you're right." He stood up,
then gave a half-smile to the doctor. "Thank you, Carson. You're
good doctor…and good friend."

Carson waved a hand in
dismissal. "Now go and visit Rodney. He's been asking for you."
Radek's eyes widened at that statement, then he frowned.

"That can't be
good," he muttered.

oOo

"Rodney, you awake?"
John asked softly. He shifted in the hard chair, his back still
stiff and sore from the whippings and the hit from Worner. Rodney
was sitting up, leaning against a couple of pillows, his blue eyes
closed, his breathing soft and regular. At John's inquiry, he gave
a smirk, sighed, then reopened his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm awake,"
he replied. He grimaced as he shifted, clamping one hand to his
broken ribs. He had been listening to John's version of what
happened, getting details on Ronon and Teyla's introduction to the
slave trade, and the rescue at the hospital. John's voice had
trailed away, and Rodney knew his friend had something on his mind.

"Okay, Sheppard,
what's up? Everyone's been acting really weird." A thought
suddenly occurred to Rodney, and he sat up, exhaling harshly as pain
ripped through him. "I'm not going to die, am I? That's just
so unfair…." Rodney felt panic take hold, and John reached out
and placed a reassuring hand on his arm.

"No, you're going
to be fine, McKay." The Colonel paused for along moment, then
whispered, "We heard you, you know."

Rodney stared in
confusion at John. Heard him? What was he talking about?

John watched
bewilderment flow across McKay's face. "We heard you call for
help," he explained. "You screamed out 'Help me' and we –
me, Elizabeth, Ronon, Teyla, Carson – we all heard you. Here. On
Atlantis. That's why we came to get you." John stopped talking,
as Rodney's confusion became disbelief, then shock. The man was a
terrible poker player, his emotions cascading across his face all the
time.

"Impossible,"
Rodney whispered half-heartedly. "I mean, how?" His logical
mind sought to find a reason, but he knew there was no way his silent
plea could have traveled across the vast expanse of a galaxy, to be
heard by the people who cared for him the most. It was…..impossible.

John just shook his
head. He didn't care how. The end result was that McKay was here,
alive, and that was all that mattered. Sheppard took a furtive look
around the room, and, seeing they were alone, decided that now was
the time.

"I heard you in the
cell, too. After you had…died. You told me…"John's voice
caught, his emotions strong with memory. "You told me I had to
escape, that I had to live." He didn't tell Rodney that he had
been decimated, that his guilt over failing Rodney had nearly
strangled him.

McKay remained silent,
an alarming sign. He stared hard at Sheppard, seeing the truth on
his face. He had told John to escape, to live? Rodney remembered
lying in the hospital bed, crying out for help, but he had no memory
of advising Sheppard…after he was dead? He suppressed a shudder.

"Colonel….."
Rodney swallowed, feeling his fatigue start to creep up on him,

"I mean, John….maybe
you thought it was me, but it was really your own subconscious…."
Rodney trailed off, seeing Sheppard shake his head.

"It was you," he
stated, his voice firm. "And I want to thank you. After you had
died, I was…..I wasn't myself," John said. He kept his gaze on
the scientist, knowing this would probably be the first and last time
he would be able to confront Rodney about their friendship. He took
in a long shaky breath, closing his eyes.

"Your voice…and it
was you…told me to get up, to stay alive. I had just watched you
die, and I was…numb. I couldn't believe that I had failed you,
that I let you die……" John stopped, unable to continue, his
eyes shifting from Rodney's intense gaze.

A few moments passed,
then Rodney heaved a sigh, wincing as his damaged lung protested.
"John, you have never failed me. Ever. There was absolutely
nothing you could have done to save me – at that time, anyway - so
stop beating yourself up over it."

Sheppard listened to
Rodney's words, appreciating their intent but knowing that it would
be along time before he came to terms with his inaction. He felt
Rodney lean forward, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Still friends?"
the physicist asked.

John looked up, his
gratitude stark on his face. With a nod, he got to his feet, his
hand automatically slipping into his front pants pocket, his fingers
rubbing against the rough fabric of Rodney's jacket patch. John
had thought to return the patch to McKay, but it had become a sort of
talisman to him, a reminder that he had almost lost his best friend.
Now, he didn't leave his quarters without it, using it as a
reminder that it was his job to protect Atlantis, protect the people
who had become his family, protect them no matter what the cost to
himself.

"Always," he
replied softly. He saw Rodney give his familiar half-smirk, then the
scientist wearily closed his eyes and groaned. Radek Zelenka had
approached cautiously, his hands twisting together nervously. John
stepped back, wanting to give the two men time to catch up.

"Dr. Zelenka, have a
seat. I was just leaving," John said. He turned stiffly from the
bed, ambling slowly away, listening to Rodney grill poor Radek on the
events in the lab while he was gone. Radek's sputtered replies
gradually increased in both volume and intensity, his own voice
becoming sharp with anger. As he exited the infirmary, John
suppressed a grin as Zelenka's voice suddenly tumbled out of
English and into angry Czech, vying to be heard over McKay's sharp
retorts.

Yup – things were
certainly back to normal here on Atlantis.

The End

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